Graham Spanier is not the leader media portrays

Eighteen months ago, I emailed former Penn State President Graham Spanier to request a letter of recommendation for a program with the Department of Homeland Security. He responded, “I’ll be happy to do this. Good luck.”

The Associated Press/2007Former Penn State President Graham Spanier

Though he was serving as president of one of the largest and best universities in the world, he made time to write the recommendation. That act of kindness is insignificant compared with what he’s accomplished in the 16 years of making Penn State a more enriched university, yet it’s a testament to who Spanier is, an impeccable leader.

He’s a man who each year would help a lucky group of incoming freshmen move into their dorm before classes began and during other occasions would perform magic shows for crowds of students. I got to know Spanier through Penn State’s Presidential Leadership Academy when I took a course taught by him called “Developing Critical Thinking for Leadership.” In the course, my mind was expanded to become more transparent when seeking answers to tough questions.

I also learned the importance of not basing judgments off of knee-jerk reactions and emotions. From this perspective, I’m certain that the entire truth regarding Jerry Sandusky has not yet been fully revealed, and Louis Freeh’s report is heavily biased, partially because he was pressured by society to draw conclusions and vilify individuals as the mob mentality grows.

People demand answers regardless of whether they’re accurate or not, and the Freeh Report delivered those. While I know my opinion might be wildly unpopular, I’ll always stand for what’s right and tell the truth. The fact is, the Freeh Report was heavily biased about Spanier and others. In the beginning of the 267-page report, it states that key players were not interviewed for the investigation, among them Mike McQueary and former university outside legal counsel Wendell Courtney, “among others.”

I’ll be the first to admit Spanier and others in power could have been more proactive in handling the situations in 1998 and 2001. However, it must be taken into account that at the time, the Sandusky reports were only allegations made by a graduate assistant who reported the incident as “horse play” or went into more detail than that. That’s still not clear.

People must not forget that Sandusky was a well-respected legend in the community who was highly thought of by many. He was a master deceiver even to those closest to him, including his wife and coach Joe Paterno.

By now, I wouldn’t be surprised if readers are shaking their head in disgust and scoffing at my viewpoint, but here is where my perspective gets even more thought-provoking. For eight of the longest years of my life as a child, I was abused and neglected. Yes, my childhood was robbed from me and it’s something to this day I wish I could have back.
I can relate to the trust issues, relational problems and psychological difficulties felt by Sandusky’s victims. Moreover, another interesting piece to the puzzle is that my background also rings a bell with Spanier.

Yes, Spanier was a victim of child abuse, too. Abuse comes in many forms, not just sexually. It can be physical, mental, emotional or a combination. I learned more about Spanier’s past when we met for breakfast in January, a week before I left to study in Cape Town, South Africa, where Spanier was born. He said that having grown up as an abused child he would never let something such as this knowingly happen under his watch.

As a society, we sometimes turn into an angry mob, impatient and quick to condemn until answers are delivered, whether they be true or not. The bias of the Freeh Report and the coverage by the media do not always deliver the truth. The best thing to do right now is to take a step back and see things from a different perspective.

Let’s not get away from those who matter the most but have, unfortunately, been forgotten in the headlines — the victims. The prayers, thoughts and attention of the world need to be centered on what can be done to recognize and prevent child abuse, whether sexual or not, from taking place.
Brice Smith of York Springs is a member of the Penn State University class of 2013.